


The Babysitter

by dawnIsGone



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babysitting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4329951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnIsGone/pseuds/dawnIsGone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A "hot single dad hires broke babysitter" au for Kaisoo</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Job #1: the Initiation

 

  
_Babysitter needed every Saturday evening starting July 7_ th  
_Background check required_  
 _Starting pay/hr: 16500₩_  
 _For more details, please consult XXX-XXXX_

Jongin thought it was a rather generous amount for babysitting. He was short on cash, and who was willing to hire a broke kid fresh out of performing arts academy? Not Fortune 500 he was sure.  
         _Bless this ad,_  he thought to himself as he whipped out his cellphone.  
        It rang thrice before a deep, somewhat raspy voice came over the line. "Hello?"  
        Jongin cleared his throat. "Um, hi, I'm calling about the babysitting advert." His tone went up at the end of his sentence, almost like he was asking a question.  
        "Ah, excellent. May I have your name?"  
        "Kim Jongin."  
        "Kim...Jong...in." Jongin shuddered. The way the man said it, with his voice, sounded almost baleful. He heard the sound of pen scratches on the other end. "Age?"  
        "Twenty-three."  
        "Alright. So you know the basics, Saturday, every week. 16500 won per hour for starters, depending on how you perform and how much my kids like you, I'll tip or take off accordingly."  
        "Mm hm." Jongin was starting to feel a little stressed. He'd only been on the phone with this man for less than a minute, and he was already feeling like he could say something wrong and blow the whole thing right then and there. He felt like the man was a land mine just waiting to be stepped on.  
        They both waited in silence.  
        "So, uh," Jongin broke the (probably one-sided) tension, "can you tell me a bit about the kids?"  
        "Ah, yes." The man sounded relieved. "I have three. Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Baekhyun. Five, five, and six respectively. They're rather energetic and feisty, otherwise likable."  
        "Ok."  
        "I'll have dinner prepared for each of you, so don't worry about the food."  
        "Alright."  
        "Good. I suppose that'll be it."  
        "Wait!" Jongin interjected.  
        "Yes?"  
        "I, um, I actually have a couple dogs at home, but—"  
        "You can bring them, that's just fine."  
        "Oh, ok. Can I...uh, your name?"  
        "Do Kyungsoo. I'd prefer just Kyungsoo."  
        "But—"  
        "Kyungsoo," Kyungsoo said firmly. "We're not that far apart in age. I'll expect you at my place by five o'clock."  
        "And you have kids?"  
        But Kyungsoo had already hung up.

  
Jongin tugged as hard as he could bring himself to on Monggu's leash. "No, Monggu,  _don't_  eat that!"  
        Monggu whined.  
        "We're gonna be late!" Jongin yanked on the leash. Monggu whimpered and followed along, nipping at Jjanggu's tail instead. Jjanggu yapped. "Oh, gods." Jongin sighed and allowed himself into a jog. "C'mon." His dogs trotted along. "Finally." Jongin pulled his pooches into Kyungsoo's lobby, nodded at the guard at the counter, and proceeded to the elevator. Getting off on the twelfth floor, Jongin pressed the doorbell and adjusted his shirt collar, right hand picking at the wrinkles, left hand wrapped around his three leashes.  
        The lock clicked, the door swung open, the sharp smell of kimchi wafted out.  
        Jongin wasn't sure what he expected of Kyungsoo, but it most definitely was not this.  
        Kyungsoo was such a little man, no more than 170cm, Jongin guessed, that he had to look up to stare Jongin in the eyes. Kyungsoo's eyes were wide, bright, something of a deer-in-the-headlights look that made Jongin want to turn around to see if he missed something spectacular behind himself. His lips were unbelievably full and pink, shaped in a heart, coupled with his hamster-esque cheeks gave him an incredibly squishy feel.  
        "Hello," Kyungsoo greeted, opening the door wider for Jongin to step in.  
        "Hi," Jongin said blankly. He left his shoes outside and ushered his dogs past the threshold.  
        "They're cute." Kyungsoo pointed at the trio.  
        "Thanks."  
        There was a tense silence as Kyungsoo closed the door quietly and Jongin waited awkwardly.  
        "Daddy!" A high-pitched voice broke the silence. Jongin turned on the spot to see a little boy running out from the hallway. His smile was wide and his eyes a little droopy, almost beagle-like. The little boy threw himself into Kyungsoo's arms. Kyungsoo broke into a huge grin.  
        To Jongin, it happened in slow motion. Kyungsoo's thick lips parting, the corners of his mouth rising, his perfect teeth came into view. Even his eyes smiled, his eyebrows tilting up. It was fascinating how fast his serious expression evaporated.  
        "Daddy, what's for dinner?" the boy asked as Kyungsoo bounced the boy in his arms a few times.  
        "I made kimchi spaghetti," Kyungsoo cooed. "I know it's your favorite."  
        The boy laughed gleefully, and Kyungsoo set him down. "Jongin, this is Baekhyun, my oldest." Kyungsoo pointed at Jongin. "Baekhyun, this is Jongin, he's here to watch you guys."  
        "Hullo!" Baekhyun grinned, his faux plastic glasses sliding down his nose.  
        Jongin waved.  
        "Ooh, doggy!" Baekhyun slid on his knees over to Jongin and look up expectantly. "Can I pet them?"  
        "Of course." Jongin smiled softly.  
        Baekhyun squealed as the trio crowded around him.  
        Kyungsoo's faint smile still lingered on his lips as he gazed from his son to Jongin.  
        "Daddy?" Two more voices echoed from the hall. "Who's here?"  
        Two children hobbled out into the living room. One was insanely tall for a five year-old and had large ears. The other had a smile plastered on his face that made Jongin think of the ":3" emoji.  
        "Ah, you two, c'mere." Kyungsoo crouched down and held his sons by the shoulders. "Jongin, this is Chanyeol, my youngest—" the elf-eared one, "and Jongdae, my second." The emoji kid.  
        "Hi." Jongin waved again, but all three boys were preoccupied with his dogs. Jjanggu appeared to have taken a great liking to Chanyeol, Monggu was sniffing around Jongdae's hair, and Jjanggah pawed at Baekhyun's knees.  
        "Well, I'll be going. I hope you'll get them to bed by eight thirty." Kyungsoo slipped Jongin a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Call me if anything happens. " He put on his coat, grabbed his keys, and hefted a cardboard box that clinked and clanged.  
        Jongin hurried to open the door for him, even hit the elevator button while he was at it.  
        "Thank you." Kyungsoo gave a pleasant smile before disappearing behind the elevator doors. Jongin nodded, retreated into the house, and locked the door. He turned back around to see all three kids sprawled across the carpet, each with a dog hovering over him.  
        Jongin sat down on the couch and clasped his hands. "Alright, um, kids?"  
        The three boys (and three dogs) all paused whatever they were doing and looked at him.  
        "So, uh, are there any rules in this house that I should know about?" Jongin asked.  
        Baekhyun pondered this. "Daddy should've told you already."  
        Jongin hesitated. "He didn't tell me much."  
        "We're not allowed to touch his cooking supplies!" Jongdae piped up.  
        "And we have to put the dishes into the dishwasher after dinner," Chanyeol said.  
        "Also, Daddy doesn't like it when people go in his room," Baekhyun added.  
        "Oh, alright." Jongin rubbed his hands together. "Well, why don't we go eat dinner first, then we can play with the dogs, or whatever."  
        The boys exchanged glances and nodded. They stood up and washed their hands at the kitchen sink, all standing atop a small stool in turn, then sat down at the already-set dinner table, swinging their legs.  
        Jongin noticed four plates sitting on the kitchen counter, three half-filled with kimchi spaghetti, the fourth filled to the brim. He took them two at a time to the table. He sat across from Jongdae and dug in.  
        The first bite of kimchi was like a whiplash on his tongue.  
        "Whoa..." He stuck his tongue out and fanned it. "Where's your water?" he asked.  
        Baekhyun pointed at a full pitcher by the sink. "Cups are in the cabinet above."  
        "Good, thanks." Jongin hurried to fill a glass for himself and downed it in seconds. "Ok..." He surveyed the kids. "So you kids don't mind the spice, or what?"  
        Chanyeol looked at him funny. "Ours aren't spicy."  
        "Oh."  
        "Daddy likes to make other people's spaghetti super spicy," Jongdae said through a mouthful. "He calls it an intation, er...inition..." The kid seemed to be trying really hard.  
        "An initiation?" Jongin supplied.  
        "Yes!" Jongdae beamed.  
        "Hn." Jongin filled himself another glass and sat back down. "Now, while we eat, why don't we give ourselves a bit of introduction?" The boys nodded absentmindedly. "I'll start." Jongin swallowed his spaghetti. "My name's Kim Jongin—"  
        "I'm Kim Jong _dae_!" Jongdae intervened.  
        Jongin smiled and nodded.  _Isn't his family named supposed to be "Do"?_  But he decided not to pry, yet.  
        "I'm twenty-three years old," Jongin continued. "I like dogs and fried chicken."  
        "I like dogs!" Chanyeol exclaimed.  
        "I like fried chicken!" Jongdae said.  
        "Good, good, y'all have good taste." Jongin grinned. "And my dogs. The little white one is Jjanggah, she's the youngest. The skinny brown one is Monggu, and the chub-chub brown one is Jjanggu."  
        Baekhyun smacked his lips. "Jjanggu...Jjanggah."  
        "Yeah, I know, they're kind of similar." Jongin scratched his head.  
        "Like Jongin and Jongdae," Jongdae repeated his point.  
        Jongin laughed. "Yeah, like that."  
        "I might get confused," Baekhyun said quietly. "Jjanggu, Jjanggah, Jongin, Jongdae." Chanyeol snickered across from him.  
        "Jongin, Jongin, Jonginnie," Jongdae chanted again and again. Jongin smiled despite the lack of honorifics.  
        "Jonginnie!" Chanyeol snapped his little fingers.  
        Jongin frowned.  
        "Jonginnie," Chanyeol continued, "Nini!"  
        Jongin was blank. "What." But the other two boys bobbed their heads in unison, like they understood exactly what their brother meant.  
        "Nini, Nini, Nini," they chorused.  
        "Um..."  
        "We will call you Nini!"  
        "Why don't we move on with those introductions?" Jongin suggested. "Baekhyun, you go next."  
        "Mm, I'm Byun Baekhyun—"  _Byun?_  "—I like strawberries, I like to sing, and I have very nice fingers." Baekhyun smiled and proudly held out his small hands. The kid had the prettiest fingers Jongin had ever seen. He nodded and turned to Jongdae.  
        "I'm Kim Jongdae, I like singing too." Jongdae wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I have cheekbones." Jongdae proceeded to pucker his lips and suck his cheeks in, making his already-prominent cheekbones even more prominent. Those things could cut diamonds they were so sharp.  
        "Impressive," Jongin noted, then nodded to Chanyeol. "Go on."  
        "I'm Park Chanyeol—"  _PARK?_  "—and I want to be a rapper when I grow up. I also have big ears." Chanyeol put his hands behind his ears like he was fanning out a collar and grinned. He indeed had big ears, like Yoda.  
        "So how about your dad?" Jongin asked. "Tell me about Kyungsoo. What does he do?"  
        "Daddy really likes cooking," Chanyeol said. "He's a carter."  
        "Caterer," Baekhyun corrected.  
        "Oh, right."  
        "Is that what he's doing tonight?" Jongin asked. "Is he cooking for other people tonight?"  
        "Yes," Baekhyun slurped the last of of his spaghetti.  
        Jongin nodded. "Why only Saturday though? He said he'd be out every Saturday."  
        "Daddy is very busy," Jongdae said. "He's very popular. He works when we're at school, too."  
        "He has Sundays off so he can play with us!" Chanyeol added.  
         _How nice._  Jongin wouldn't help but smile.  
        "I'm finished." Baekhyun slid off his chair and put his dish in the sink. He rinsed it clean and propped it into the dishwasher. He returned to the table and asked, "Can I go play with Jjanggah now?"  
        "Yes, go ahead." Jongin ate his spaghetti slowly. This stuff was seriously picante, and he was on his third glass of water already. Baekhyun hurried to the living room and crouched next to Jjanggah, who lifted her head and nipped softly at Baekhyun's fingertips.  
        "I'm done too," Chanyeol followed suit and ran off to play with Jjanggu.  
        "Nini," Jongdae said suddenly.  
        "Do you have to call me that?" Jongin asked, somewhat troubled.  
        "Nini," Jongdae persisted.  
        "Jongdae, just Jongin is fine."  
        "Nini."  
        "Okay, okay, what?"  
        "Will you play hide and seek with us later?" Jongdae scraped the last bits of spaghetti sauce off his plate and placed it in the dishwasher. "We always play hide and seek."  
        "Oh, sure." Jongin looked at his plate. Almost done. "Just wait till I finish eating, alright? Also, I need to use the bathroom."  
        Jongdae nodded and joined his brothers in the living room, informing them, "Nini's gonna play hide and seek with us!" To which the boys responded with joyful cheering. Jongin downed the rest of his spaghetti as quickly as his burning tongue would allow.

 

  
"So we get thirty seconds to hide," Baekhyun explained. "And then you come looking for us. If you can't find all three of us after ten minutes, then we win the game, okay?"  
        "Sounds good."  
        "No peeking!"  
        Jongin nodded and turned to face a corner in the living room as he started counting down, announcing by the fives. He heard the three boys whispering to each other until he counted twenty-five, then ran off.  
        "Twenty!" Jongin called.  
        There was rustling in the hallway.  
        "Fifteen!"  
        A door closed. Two doors now.  
        "Ten!"  
        Some banging on what sounded like wood.  
        "Five!"  
        Someone tripped, scowled, and hurried on.  
        "Ready or not, here I come!" Jongin whirled around to an empty living room. "Aw man, they took my dogs with them." Jongin stood before the hallway and listened. There was a faint scuffling behind the door to his right. He placed his hand on the doorknob as quietly as possible and flung the door open. "Hah!"  
        He blinked. No one was in there. It was dark, he couldn't even see the far corners, but Jongin knew the big room was empty. Three beds, some stuffed animals, a dresser, a built-in closet, book-filled shelves, and another door that he assumed led to the bathroom.  
        More scuffling. Jongin's head snapped towards the closet, where the sound had come from. He smiled knowingly.  
        He crept over to the doors and opened them.  
        "Wah!" Jongin scrambled back as something white flew at his face. "Whoa, whoa!" He backed up quickly, until he realized... "Jjanggah!" Jongin picked up his pup. "Girl, what are you doing in the closet? Where's Baekhyun?" Jjanggah yapped. "Where's Baekhyun, huh, girl?" Jjanggah sneezed. Jongin pouted. "You trust Baek more than you trust me now?" Jjanggah licked his cheeks, making him chuckle. "Alright, let's go find those boys." He set off towards the bathroom door, Jjanggah in his arms.  
        There was a scratching sound from the bathroom, and a bark.  
        "Monggu..." Jongin opened the door, and another dog rushed at him. "Whatcha doin' in there, buddy?" He set Jjanggah down and stepped cautiously into the bathroom. He flipped the switch and light flooded the bathroom. No one either. No one sat crouched behind the toilet, no one lay in the bathtub. "Hm..." Jongin stepped back out and, for the third time, heard rustling in the closet. "Again?"  he wondered aloud as he turned towards it.  
        He crossed over once more and opened it. A couple of the jackets swayed. Jongin stepped back. "What the..." He waited until they stopped moving. They didn't move again. He got a little closer and reached out, his heart beating abnormally fast. He didn't get to study the jackets carefully, because something that felt like a human hand darted out and touched his leg, then retreated as quickly as it had appeared.  
        "AH! SH—"  _Can't let the kids hear me cuss_ "—OOT!" Jongin stumbled so fast, he tripped over his own feet. He hit the floor butt-first, and a jolt traveled up his spine. "Ow..." Monggu and Jjanggah howled and jumped, circling Jongin, who was on the floor massaging his rear. "Ugh." Jongin swatted the closet doors shut. Behind him, there was a swoosh of someone hurrying past a door. Jongin whirled and glimpsed the shadow of tiny feet disappear out the bedroom door. He got to his feet and sped to the door. Outside, everything was at peace.  
        "Tough kids," Jongin murmured, and beckoned for his dogs to follow. He slipped his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Five minutes down, five minutes to go. Jjanggah and Monggu followed him into the hallway.  
        Jongin tried the door to the room across the hall. It yielded to a study. A paper-littered desk against the opposite window-wall. A couple beanbag chairs dotted the wooden floor. The entire left wall, as well as half the right wall, were covered in books. No place to hide here. Unless Kyungsoo's house had those awesome swinging bookcases, but Jongin highly doubted that. For inspection sake he still made his rounds around the room before he closed the door.  
        "Where are they?" he murmured. He decided to check the living room again.  
        A large couch, two plush chairs, a television, a carpet, a couple of potted plants by the floor-to-ceiling window. Jongin looked behind the couch, the seats, the TV. Nobody at all.  
        He then tried the room next to the study. It was a guest bathroom. Just a toilet, a sink, and a shower stall. The ultimate no-place-to-hide. Jongin backed right out.  
        He looked at the tightly-shut door standing solemnly at the end of the hall.  _Maybe they're in Kyungsoo's room,_ Jongin thought. He moved towards it.  _Should I go in? Or not? But it's Kyungsoo's room, and I was told explicitly he didn't like people going in there._ Jongin hesitated.  _No_. He sighed and turned around. Ten minutes should be up by now.  
        Three pale faces and a loud bark were what he faced.  
        "AGH!" Jongin lost his footing for the third time that day. As he stumbled, his elbow, funny bone, to be exact, hit the door jamb, and his right arm went numb. At the same time, the long door knob stabbed the small of his back. "OW! Ow, ow, ouch!"  
        The three faces burst into laughter, the three dogs howled and bayed excitedly.  
        "Oh, jeez..." Jongin massaged his arm.  
        Baekhyun stepped forward. "Your time is up."  
        "I know," Jongin moaned. "Spare me."  
        Jjanggu trotted forward an nuzzled Jongin's arm.  
        "You traitor," Jongin whispered, then he looked up at the kids. "Where were you all hiding?"  
        "If we told you, it'd be no fun," Jongdae said. "But come on."  
        "We'll show you." Chanyeol tugged on Jongin's arm. "Let's go!"  
        "Look at my hiding place first," Baekhyun said. Jongin stood up and followed them to the large bedroom with three beds. They led him steadily towards the closet.  
        "Oh, no no no," Jongin protested. "Not the haunted closet."  
        Chanyeol giggled. "It's not haunted, Nini, look."  
        Baekhyun opened the closet doors and pushed aside the upper and lower rows of coats and shirts. He entered, placed his hand on the back wall, and pushed. The wall swung inward to reveal a passageway large enough for Jongin to walk in comfortably.  
        "Whoa..." Jongin poked his head in.  
        "Daddy had this made to lead into his walk-in closet," Jongdae explained. "We go through here at night if we have scary dreams, and the hall is creepy at night."  
        "There's a light switch here," Chanyeol said, flicking a switch on the inside of the passage, "and one on Daddy's end."  
        "That's so cool," Jongin uttered, mesmerized.  
        "This was Bacon's hiding place," Chanyeol said.  
        "Don't call me that," Baekhyun whined.  
        "I hid in our bathroom!" Jongdae said.  
        "What?" Jongin whirled on him. "I  _went_ in there! Monggu was in there!"  
        "I know," Jongdae picked at his hair. "I was scared you would find me, but you didn't check under the sink." Jongdae giggled.  
        "Oh my god." Jongin slapped himself in the face. "And Chanyeol, where were you?" he mumbled through his fingers.  
        "I was in the study." Chanyeol took Jongin's hand and the trio led him to the study.  
        "But I checked the study, too."  
        "Not carefully enough," Jongdae said, almost sassily.  
        "I can't believe you missed the scratch marks." Chanyeol crossed over to the right wall, the wall with half a bookcase, and pointed at the floor on the half side without books.  
        Jongin studied the floor. The chestnut wood had two perfectly parallel white lines, scratch marks, as Chanyeol said, lined right up to the wall. "Marks? Of  _what_?"  
        "This." Baekhyun placed his hands on the edge of the bookcase and pulled with all his might. The bookcase slid aside to reveal yet another passage. "Leads to Daddy's room too, to a panel next to his bed."  
        "Jongdae came to join me after he ran from the bedroom," Chanyeol added.  
        "Why the  _heck_ do you guys have so many secret paths in your apartment?" Jongin asked, dumbstruck.  
        "Daddy said 'for the sake of it'," Baekhyun quoted.  
        "Alright," Jongin said slowly.

"Nini, help me button up my pyjamas." Chanyeol came up to Jongin with his pjs loose.  
        "C'mere." Jongin buttoned up the shirt and hustled Chanyeol over to his bed. "In you go!" Jongin picked up the boy, swung him around in a circle, and tossed him onto his bed, Chanyeol giggling the whole time.  
        Jongdae gasped. "Me too! Me too!"  
        "Alright, here we go!" Jongin hooked his arms under Jongdae's armpits and rocked him back and forth before throwing him up into the air over his bed. Jongdae laughed.  
        Jongin turned toward Baekhyun. "Baekhyun, you too?"  
        Baekhyun nodded expectantly, so Jongin picked him up and gave him a quick ride as well.  
        "Alright, g'night, kiddos." Jongin started for the door, but Baekhyun called him back.  
        "Wait, what about a bedtime story?" He pointed at the bookshelves.

Kyungsoo unlocked the front door, slipped his keys back into his pocket, and picked up his box of cooking supplies.  
        "Jongin?" he called softly.  
        "—and the Three Little Pigs never had to worry about the Big Bad Wolf ever again. The end." Jongin's voice came from the kids' bedroom.  
        Kyungsoo smiled and moved into the kitchen, setting his supplies down and taking them out one by one—pots, pans, utensils—to wash in the sink. After ten or so minutes, Jongin came out of the room, shutting the door gently.  
        "Oh, hello, Kyungsoo." Jongin pulled up chair in the dining area.  
        "Hello," Kyungsoo replied without looking up.  
        "Need some help with that?" Jongin offered.  
        "It's alright, I'm good." Kyungsoo finished washing the last of his pots and grabbed a cloth to dry them. "So, how were the kids? Were they alright? Hope they didn't cause too much trouble."  
        "Oh, we played hide and seek," Jongin said. "I got scared a couple times, found out about your secret passages. Your spaghetti was quite...piquant."  
        Kyungsoo gave a hearty laugh. "But scared?" Kyungsoo turned around. "How?"  
        "They, uh...they pulled some poltergeist moves on me with the secret passages and all." Jongin chuckled bashfully.  
        "Ah, yes, they do that to all the first time babysitters. It's their own initiation."  
        "Hn."  
        "Overall, how was it? Will you be willing to take on another job?" Kyungsoo asked.  
        "Oh,  yeah, totally!" Jongin agreed bluntly. "More than happy."  
        "That's nice to know." Kyungsoo hung the towel on the oven handle. "Care for some tea?" Jongin nodded. Kyungsoo retrieved a teapot, two cups, and packet of tea leaves from the pantry. He started to heat some water. "You should've seen the last time I had someone over to babysit. It didn't turn out very well."  
        "Why? Was it that bad?"  
        Kyungsoo leaned back against the counter, facing Jongin. "I had my friend Junmyeon come over, I had a catering that night as well. When I got back, he was balled up on the couch, there was a bruise on his arm, and his hair was an absolute  _rat's nest_." Kyungsoo chuckled at the memory. "The boys were in their room playing with their stuffed animals, and Junmyeon never gave me the details, so I can only guess they had a very intense, very haunted game of hide and seek. After that, Junmyeon made me promise never to leave him alone with the kids again." He put some tea leaves in a net and poured hot water into the teapot, swirling it. He brought the pot and the cups to the table.  
        "Really?" Jongin found that hard to believe as he accepted the tea from Kyungsoo. "They're a bit mischievous, but that sounds kinda ridiculous."  
        Kyungsoo shrugged. "Junmyeon's good-willed, kind, but he's not exactly authoritative. He does his best to be a father figure, but he's not quite there yet."  
        "Ah." Jongin sipped his tea.  
        In silence, the two downed the entire pot. Then Kyungsoo fished out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to Jongin. "Your pay for today."  
        "Oh, thank you." Jongin stuffed it into his pocket. "I should get going," he said, standing.  
        Kyungsoo got to his feet as well. "It's late, do you need me to drive you home or...?"  
        "Nah, it's okay, I actually don't live too far away. Thanks." Jongin gathered his leashes and ushered his dogs too the door. "I'll see you next Saturday then?"  
        Kyungsoo nodded and waved until Jongin got in the elevator, then went to check on the boys.  
        All three were sound asleep in their beds, faint smiles on their faces.  
        Kyungsoo smiled as well as he sauntered to his own room.  _Not that bad a babysitter, eh?_  Kyungsoo thought.


	2. Job #2: the Induction

"Daddy! Wake up!" _OOF!_  
        Kyungsoo was instantly awake, not because Baekhyun told him to, but because his son had just flung himself onto Kyungsoo, landing so heavily it jolted Kyungsoo's shoulder. "Ow."  
        Baekhyun giggled and crawled under the duvet. "It's Sunday!" the boy exclaimed.  
        Kyungsoo pushed his back up to the wall and ruffled Baekhyun's hair. "Yes, yes it is."  
        "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Baekhyun snuggled up against his father's side, hugging Kyungsoo's arm.  
        Kyungsoo picked Baekhyun up and hopped out of bed. "Yes, I'll make pancakes. Go get Chanyeol and Jongdae up, alright? I'll be right out." Baekhyun bobbed his head and waddled out of the room.  
  
"Daddy, can you make a Mickey Mouse?" Jongdae requested. "I want a Mickey Mouse."  
        "Okay." Kyungsoo whipped his batter to a good consistency before drizzling some of it into the shape of Mickey Mouse onto his pan. "Chanyeol, Baekhyun? Anything?"  
        "I'm okay," Chanyeol said.  
        "I want strawberries," Baekhyun said thoughtfully. "Lots of strawberries!"  
        "Alright." While Jongdae's pancake sizzled, Kyungsoo swept a box of strawberries out of the fridge, washed them, and minced them like the expert he was. "So how was yesterday?" he asked, slipping Jongdae's pancake onto a plate. "Did you like Jongin?"  
        "Yes!" was the unanimous reply.  
        "Really?" Kyungsoo dumped his chopped strawberries into the last of the batter while simultaneously flipping Chanyeol's pancake. "How so? Was he funny?"  
        "He likes doggies," Chanyeol put in.  
        "And fried chicken," Jongdae added.  
        "And reads us bedtime stories," Baekhyun said.  
        "That's nice." Kyungsoo poured Baekhyun's strawberry batter into the pan. "What did he read you?"  
        "The Three Little Pigs."  
        "Last time Uncle Junmyeon came to babysit," Baekhyun recalled, "he wouldn't even go into our room because he thought there really was a ghost in the closet. So we didn't get a bedtime story that time."  
        "Shame." Kyungsoo brought three plates of pancakes, maple syrup, and a bowl of strawberries to the table. "Jongin said he played hide and seek with you guys and got scared. What did you do to him?"  
        "The usual," Jongdae said.  
        "He almost went into your room," Chanyeol tattled. Kyungsoo turned away from his sons as a horrified frown took over his features.  
        "But he didn't," Jongdae added quickly. "Because we told him you don't like other people in your room."  
        Kyungsoo relaxed and nodded, watching his boys shovel down the pancakes.  
        "Daddy, aren't you having pancakes?" Baekhyun asked, picking at a strawberry.  
        "No, I'll have cereal." Kyungsoo stood up to get the box, but Chanyeol pulled him back down.  
        "No! You can have some of _my_ pancakes." He cut off a bite-sized piece of pancake, dipped it in a little too much syrup, and held it out to Kyungsoo, who smiled and let his son feed him yet another two pieces.  
        "You can have some of mine too." Jongdae, seeing his brother, decided to share as well. He spared Mickey Mouse's left ear and sprinkled strawberries onto it. "Here you go, Daddy." He pushed his plate towards his father.  
        Kyungsoo chuckled and ate, never forgetting to hum in appreciation while he was at it.  
        "Daddy, you can have my strawberries." Baekhyun horked down his remaining pancakes and offered up a bowl of half-empty (half-full, whatever) strawberries.  
        Kyungsoo laughed. "Thanks, buddy." As he ate the strawberries, he asked, "Would you guys want Jongin over to babysit again?"  
        "Yes!" Again, unanimous.  
        On the kitchen counter, Kyungsoo's phone rang. "Hold on," he said, and hurried to pick up his cell. "Hello?"  
         _"Hey, Kyungsoo!"_ Junmyeon's voice came over the line. _"How'd the babysitting go?"_  
        "You're just calling to see if another babysitter suffered like you did, aren't you?" Kyungsoo tapped his fingers against the counter. Junmyeon was silent on the other end. Kyungsoo sighed and gave a breathy laugh. "He's unscathed, he's sane, and he's also coming next Saturday."  
        _"That's nice. I was actually going to ask if he was just as handsome as me."_ Then in a hushed whisper, like he was holding the phone far away, Junmyeon said, _"Yifan, wait, not now."_ His voice returned to normal. _"Ok, so is he good-looking?"_  
        "Who's Yifan?" Kyungsoo asked, curiosity piqued.  
         _"No one,"_ Junmyeon said hastily. _"Not important."_  
        _"Excuse you,"_ came another voice Kyungsoo assumed was Yifan, _"I am your—"_  
        _"Ah, haha, okay, Yifan, we can have this argument some other time, right? I'm on the phone."_  
        _"How dare you pull the 'I'm on the phone' with me. I am your—"_  
        _"Kyungsoo, I'll call you back in a second!"_ And Junmyeon hung up.  
        Kyungsoo stared blankly at his phone. "Alright." He slipped it into his pocket and sat back down at the table.  
        "Who's that?" Chanyeol asked.  
        "Junmyeon," Kyungsoo said. "He called to ask how the babysitting went. He also asked if Jongin was handsome."  
        "Yes!" Jongdae exclaimed. "Yes, he is!"  
        "Yeah, tell Uncle Junmyeon that!" Chanyeol clapped his hands.  
        "Eleven out of ten," Baekhyun added. "Nini is an eleven."  
        "Nini?" The phone rang again. "Hello?"  
        _"Hi, it's Junmyeon, I'm back, I'm okay, nothing suspicious...at all."_ He was panting slightly.  
        "Why are you panting?"  
         _"No reason, I—don't change the subject, we were talking about your babysitter. So?"_ Junmyeon cleared his throat. _"On a scale of one to ten."_  
        Kyungsoo sighed. "The kids say he's an eleven."  
        _"Ooh. Nice. What about you? What do you think?"_  
        "Why do you care what I think?"  
         _"Just curious."_           
        Kyungsoo hesitated, in thought. "Eight point five. Nine? I guess."  
         _"Oh, good, good. Does he have a nice personality? Is he polite? Oh, OH. Does he own_ dogs _?"_ Junmyeon sounded so excited it was ridiculous. _"'cause if yes, then, well, you've been single you entire life—"_  
        "Shut up," Kyungsoo mumbled. "First off, I've known him for one day; secondly, I don't plan on committed or long-term relationships. Just...isn't my style."  
         _"Heh, 'isn't my style'. You sound just like Yifan."_  
        "Who's Yifan?"  
        Junmyeon was silent. _"Shoot, uh, bye."_  
        "Sometimes I wonder why I'm still friends with you," Kyungsoo added loudly.  
        Junmyeon laughed on the other end before hanging up.  
        Kyungsoo chuckled softly and shook his head in exasperation. He turned toward the table. "Hey, boys, who wants to pay Uncle Junmyeon a quick visit?"  
        "Do we get to see Sehunnie?"  
        "Yes."  
        "Yay!"  
  
"Hi, Jongin? Yes, it's Kyungsoo. I need you somewhere later, is that alright?" Kyungsoo held his phone in one hand, gripped Jongdae's hand in the other as he and his sons entered the elevator of Junmyeon's apartment. "Around noontime, at my friend's house, we're having lunch with a few others, also your official induction into the Do household as a babysitter. Congratulations on making it out alive. Yeah, I'll text you the address. Thanks again." He put his phone in his pocket.  
        The elevator dinged pleasantly and the doors slid open.  
        Baekhyun stood on his tiptoes to hit the doorbell of Junmyeon's flat.  
        The door opened and there Junmyeon stood, in a white t-shirt and skinny jeans, hair unkempt. He seemed unable to process who stood at his door for a second, then his eyes widened. "K-Kyungsoo, hi!"  
        Kyungsoo smiled knowingly.  
        "Hi, Uncle Junmyeon!" Jongdae waved and hugged Junmyeon's legs.  
        "Ah, hello." Junmyeon stooped down and plucked Jongdae off the ground. "What are you doing here?"  
        "Visiting," Kyungsoo said simply.  
        Baekhyun and Chanyeol darted past Junmyeon's legs and into the house. "Sehunnie! Sehunnie!" they cried. Kyungsoo could see a handsome little boy tottering out of the hallway to meet the other boys.  
        Kyungsoo nodded and smiled at Junmyeon before breezing past him into the house. Junmyeon let Jongdae out of his arms and locked the front door.  
        From the hallway Sehun had emerged from, a voice called, "Junmyeon, who's there?" Out of it, a tall man in black jeans sauntered, hands in his pockets. He stopped short at the sight of Kyungsoo and three more boys in his house. "Who?"  
        All Junmyeon could articulate was, "Uh."  
        Kyungsoo, however, walked right up to the man, where he just barely reached the shoulder, and held out his hand, much against his nature. In fact, Kyungsoo surprised himself. "Do Kyungsoo, I'm the one Junmyeon hung up on earlier."  
        The tall man shook Kyungsoo's hand and nodded slowly, eyeing Junmyeon. "I'm Yifan," he said curtly. "Junmyeon's...boyfriend."  
        Kyungsoo could almost hear Junmyeon mentally slapping his face.  
        "You got yourself a boyfriend," Kyungsoo plopped down on the couch. "Nice." He watched the kids roll about on the floor, busting out the stuffed animals, and tagging each other around the living room.  
        Junmyeon looked defeated and joined Kyungsoo on the couch. "Right. Please, leave the teasing for later. I beg of you."  
        "I like it when you beg."  
        "Oh my god, shut up."  
        "How old is he?" Kyungsoo pointed at Sehun.  
        "Turned four just three months ago." Junmyeon patted his hair down. "He's been a sassy little butt ever since he could talk. He frickin' calls me Junma. _Junma!_ "  
        If Kyungsoo had anything in his mouth, he would've spewed. He held his stomach as he wheezed, and Baekhyun was looking at him funny. Junmyeon looked hurt but somewhat amused.  
        "Daddy, are you okay?" Baekhyun came over and held Kyungsoo's hand.  
        "I'm fine, Baek. Yes, pfft. _Junma!_ " Kyungsoo gave Junmyeon a hard slap to the shoulder.  
        Junmyeon frowned. "Yifan, make him stop."  
        From the kitchen, picking at a pack of marshmallows, Yifan shrugged and pretended not to hear.  
        "Ooh, Yifan, I wanna, I wanna!" Sehun, whose lisp was quite obvious despite his young age, hobbled toward Yifan, hands outstretched. Kyungsoo's boys followed suit.  
        Yifan smiled faintly and crouched down, handing each of the boys a marshmallow.  
        "Yifan!" Junmyeon flopped over the back of the couch. "It's eleven in the morning, you can't give them candy right now!"  
        "Calm down, 'Mom'," Yifan said sarcastically. "He's got friends over, won't kill anybody to treat 'em."  
        "Yeah, Mom," Kyungsoo chimed in. "Chill."  
        Junmyeon buried his face in the cushions. "Why is it always me?" he mumbled.  
        "Wind down." Yifan continued to handout marshmallows. "Chillax." He gave Sehun a friendly pat on the head as the boy started for his "mother".  
        "Junma!" Sehun ran over, two marshmallows in hand, and offered one to Junmyeon, putting it near his mouth.  
        Junmyeon looked surprised. "For me?" Sehun nodded. "Aw, thank you." Junmyeon opened his mouth, and Sehun placed the marshmallow inside and giggled. Junmyeon smiled and patted Sehun's head too, but the boy squealed and said, "No head touchy!" Then ran off.  
        "What?" Junmyeon looked incredulous. "But Yifan did!"  
        "Privilege of Mom's boyfriend," Yifan said simply.  
        The doorbell rang.  
        "I'll get it," Junmyeon murmured. As he hustled off to open the door, Kyungsoo turned around in his seat and asked Yifan, who was stealing another few marshmallows out of the bag, "So how long have you and Junmyeon, ah...?"  
        Yifan pondered this. "About a month."  
        Junmyeon came back, leading two familiar men from the entrance.  
        "Ah, Minseok, Luhan, hello," Yifan greeted, hands still around the bag.  
        Luhan, who was taller than Minseok not by much, waved. Minseok glanced in Yifan's direction and his eyes widened. "Marshmallow!" he sang.  
        "Huh?" Yiafn looked down. "Oh, yeah, you want one?" He sealed the bag and tossed the whole thing over.  
        Minseok caught it happily.  
        "Hey, Kyungsoo!" Luhan noticed him sitting on the couch, texting away on his phone. "What are you doing here?" Luhan hopped onto the couch next to Kyungsoo.  
        Kyungsoo looked up. "What are _you_ doing here?"  
        "Oh, we wanted to come see Sehun." Luhan pointed at the boy. "Didn't know you and your boys would be here, pleasant surprise though. Minseok really likes Jongdae." Then Luhan leaned into Kyungsoo's ear and whispered, "Don't tell him I said that, he'd never admit liking an annoying brat like your own."  
        Kyungsoo pushed him. Luhan laughed.  
        Turning in his seat once more, Kyungsoo asked loudly, "Are all of you free later?"  
        "Yeah," Luhan and Minseok piped up in unison.  
        "No," Junmyeon said.  
        "Yes," Yifan said.  
        "No."  
        "Yes."  
        "No."  
        "Uh, hell yeah we are." Yifan frowned.  
        "Don't say 'hell' in front of the kids!" Junmyeon hissed.  
        "You just did."  
        "Oh my god!"  
        Yifan jabbed his finger at Kyungsoo. "You kept talking about how his kimchi spaghetti was the best thing ever. Now I'm finally  getting a meal from this kid, Junmyeon. I ain't letting the chance go."  
        Luhan buried his face into the sofa and snickered.  
        "Old married couple," Minseok whispered loudly.  
        "We're not married," Yifan protested.  
        "Yet," Kyungsoo said. "I'll make all of you lunch, but my babysitter's coming too." The doorbell rang. Kyungsoo jutted his chin out. "Could be him." The door creaked open.  
        "What the hell?" Yifan whispered. "You didn't lock the door?"  
        "Stop saying 'hell'," Junmyeon growled. "I'm sorry, okay?"  
        None other than Jongin's head popped into the living room. "Um, the door wasn't locked, so I—"  
        "No, it's okay. Come on in," Junmyeon said courteously. Jongin hesitated. "Come on." Junmyeon beckoned. "Kyungsoo's already here."  
        Jongin stepped cautiously into the living room and gave a shallow bow. "Hi." Behind him trailed his three dogs.  
        "Oh, he's a polite one." Luhan elbowed Kyungsoo.  
        "Quit flapping your gums."  
        "And he has dogs, oh my goodness, they're cute."  
        At this, Junmyeon stepped forth and held out his hand. "Kim Junmyeon. I applaud you for still being sane." Jjanggu sniffed Junmyeon's pants.  
        "Um..." Jongin shook hands. "Thanks. I guess."  
        "Nini!" Jongdae squeaked as he and Chanyeol flung themselves at Jongin. Only Baekhyun took Sehun by the hand and led him over. Sehun seemed mesmerized by Jjanggah's white fur and petted her continuously.  
        Jongin looked a bit overwhelmed as he glanced at Kyungsoo, who smiled faintly and nodded approvingly. Jongin grinned and grunted with Jongdae in one arm, Chanyeol in the other. "Whoo, you kids are a bit...heavy."  
        "Everyone, this is Jongin." Kyungsoo swept his arm around the room. "Jongin, this is Yifan, Junmyeon, Sehun, Minseok, and Luhan. We're having lunch together. Which yours truly is preparing." Kyungsoo stood up to take a look at Junmyeon's refrigerator. "Euh. How old is this?" He brought out a box of pasta from the very back and took a whiff. "Eeuuhh...toss it out, Junmyeon. This is disgusting." Kyungsoo stuffed the tupperware into Junmyeon's hands and stooped back down to inspect the contents. "You should keep you fridge stocked. How do you feed your child?"  
        "We go out."  
        "You trust the food out there?" Kyungsoo shut the fridge and looked at Junmyeon pointedly. "I'm gonna go get groceries, you can come if you want." Kyungsoo turned on his heel and started for the door. "Jongin, come on."  
        Jongin set Jongdae and Chanyeol down. "Me?"  
        "Yeah. Junmyeon, you coming?"  
        Jongin hurried to put on the shoes because Kyungsoo was halfway out the door already.  
        "You want me to go out in _this?_ " Junmyeon gestured at his plain outfit.  
        "Just go." Yifan gave him a soft push. "I promise to take good care of your kid while you're gone."  
        Junmyeon sighed and rushed to the door.  
  
"...potatoes, basil, garlic, lemons, pine nuts..." Kyungsoo moved down the aisle at high speed, tossing items one by one into the basket in Jongin's hands.  
        "Pine nuts?" Junmyeon looked incredulous.  
        "Junmyeon, do you have olive oil at home?"  
        "Um...yes, I do."  
        "Good. Now we have cheese and pasta left. Let's go." Kyungsoo took a sharp turn around one of the racks.  
        Jongin tried for a bit of chatter. "So...you're a caterer?"  
        "Yes."  
        "Your kids say you're very busy."  
        "I do have a rather tight schedule."  
        "And how do you prep all their food?"  
        "Baekhyun's in elementary school, the other two I put in daycare, so I don't accept night catering on weekdays," Kyungsoo maneuvered through the supermarket, it was like he knew it like the back of his hand, "only on Saturday, so I can cook dinner for the kids and spend some time with them. Baekhyun really likes kimchi spaghetti, as you may have guessed." Kyungsoo's voice took on a lighter tone. "And Chanyeol loves it when I grill galbi for dinner, even if it's not often. Oh, and Jongdae has such a sweet tooth. He's always bugging me to make cookies, and he'll decide which flavor he wants, make them with me, and—" Kyungsoo stopped short. "Sorry, am I rambling?"  
        "Oh, no. It's fine. It's...cute that someone can talk about his kids like that." Jongin grinned involuntarily.  
        Kyungsoo flushed.  
        "Hey, uh, I think we lost your friend."  
        "Who, Junmyeon?" Kyungsoo didn't even bother to turn around. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine on his own. We can pick him up after we get what we need."  
        "You seem to have a pretty blatant disregard of your friend's safety."  
        "I couldn't care less about his well-being. C'mon."  
        So Jongin walked on as though nothing had happened. "You were...talking about Jongdae's cookies," he prompted.  
        "Oh, um..." Kyungsoo appeared a little embarrassed. "He...uh, he usually likes cinnamon chocolate chip cookies. He always wants to put in an insane amount of chocolate chips, I say no, and we always have to compromise." At this, Kyungsoo gave a soft chuckle. "Jongdae loves using the cookie-cutters, in fact, he only uses the dinosaur ones. So all our chocolate chip cookies come out looking like t-rex, or triceratops, and pterodactyls, all that good stuff." Kyungsoo turned a little to look at Jongin. "You know, you should drop by some time. They're actually pretty good. In fact, Jongdae would love to have you come over." A small smile tugged at Kyungsoo's lips.  
        "Yeah...I'll—I will." Jongin was silent after that, gazing back at Kyungsoo just long enough that it grew somewhat awkward.  
        "Cheese," Kyungsoo blurted loudly. "We need cheese. And pasta." He turned away and continued on.  
  
"Parmesan, 100 grams, please."  
  
"Let's see, spaghetti...spaghetti...ah, here we go. Ooh, a three-pack."  
  
"Alright, we can go find Junmyeon now." Kyungsoo loaded his purchases into a shopping bag, then squinted at something behind Jongin. "Oh, wait...is that—yeah, there he is." Kyungsoo pointed at a man sitting on a high bench next to a Starbucks, plastic take-out cup in hand.  
        Jongin half-expected Kyungsoo to just call out for Junmyeon, but Kyungsoo walked over to Junmyeon and took him by the arm. "Let's go."  
        Junmyeon jumped at the sudden touch.  
        Kyungsoo beckoned for Jongin to follow along.  
  
"Oh, I really hope Sehun's not destroying the house," Junmyeon said from the passenger seat, sounding strangely nervous.  
        "I take it you don't leave him at home without you often?" Jongin ventured.  
        Junmyeon nodded. "I don't indeed."  
        "He'll be fine," Kyungsoo said. "He's a good kid."  
        Junmyeon snorted. "I just hope Yifan doesn't stuff the kids with marshmallows."  
        "What exactly do you hope for?" Kyungsoo asked.  
        "Just drive, oh my god."  
        Everyone remained silent for the rest of the trip back to Junmyeon's. Once they arrived, Junmyeon hastened to the elevator, Kyungsoo in tow, twirling his car keys, and Jongin bringing up the rear, shopping bags in his arms.  
        And then Junmyeon was fumbling with the house keys, bursting into the atrium ahead of his company. Monggu, Jjanggu, and Jjanggah rushed for the door, yapping.  
        "Oh, hey. Welcome back," Yifan said, holding Sehun, who was giggling uncontrollably, up by the armpits. Luhan and Minseok were snuggled on the couch. Kyungsoo's boys sat playing with stuffed animals on the rug.  
        "Hello," Junmyeon replied, a little breathless.  
        "Junma!" Sehun waved his tiny hands around and squirmed in Yifan's grasp. Yifan passed the child into Junmyeon's arms. Sehun scrabbled at Junmyeon's shirt collar.  
        "Hello, baby." Junmyeon gave Sehun a soft peck upon the top of his head, and the boy tittered.  
        Jongin pulled to a stop next to Kyungsoo, who was taking off his shoes. "Why was Junmyeon so anxious to get back?"  
        Kyungsoo hummed and gave Monggu a quick scratch behind the ears. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to tell you that, nor do I think it's a good time."  
        Jongin cocked his head. "You care a lot about his well-being, don't you?"  
        Kyungsoo shot him an exasperated look. "Gee, Jongin, I sure do wonder."  
        Jongin chuckled softly.  
        "I'm gonna make lunch." Kyungsoo took the bags from Jongin. "You can help me dice the potatoes."  
        "Alright."  
        Minseok turned around. "What are you making?"  
        Kyungsoo set the bags out on the kitchen counter and began taking out supplies. "Spaghetti with pesto and potatoes." He snapped his fingers as he brought out a knife from a drawer. "Jongin."  
        "Right, coming."  
        While Kyungsoo washed the potatoes and basil, Jongin peeled the garlic, Minseok came over and peered around.  
        "Can I help you with anything?"  
        "Actually, yes." Kyungsoo grabbed a handful of freshly washed basil. "You can chop these." He then handed the herbs to Minseok and the potatoes to Jongin.  
        Minseok took the basil obediently, while Jongin loudly murmured, "I signed up to be a babysitter, not an assistant chef."  
        "Shut up and cut your potatoes," Kyungsoo deadpanned.  
        "Nini," Chanyeol tugged Jongin's shirt sleeve, "you haven't said hi to Sehunnie." Jongin looked down. Chanyeol was holding the hand of tiny Sehun. Sehun gazed up at Jongin with a look of wonder.  
        "Oh, hello." Jongin gave a small wave.  
        "This is Nini," Chanyeol introduced.  
        "Jongin," Jongin corrected.  
        "Nini," Chanyeol insisted.  
        "Nini," Sehun repeated. Jongin sighed in defeat. Sehun opened and closed his mouth, then opened it again and said, "Doggy."  
        "Yes, Nini owns doggies. That's Jjanggah, and that's..." Chanyeol led Sehun off.  
        "Why do they call you Nini?" Kyungsoo asked, crushing the garlic.  
        "I dunno."  
        "Because," said Baekhyun from the living room, "if you say Jonginnie really fast, 'ginnie' sounds like Nini."  
        Luhan let out a howl of laughter.  
        Next to Jongin, Kyungsoo cackled.  
        "Alright then," Jongin muttered, feeling a little more embarrassed than he should be.


	3. Job #3: the Day Off

Jongin arrived at Kyungsoo's house a little earlier than usual one Saturday, per Kyungsoo's instructions, a bounce in his step, his dogs at his heel.  
        Kyungsoo greeted him at the door, barefoot, in a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt. His hands were coated in white powder.  
        "You sure don't look like you're going out," Jongin commented.  
        Kyungsoo rubbed the back of his neck with his forearm. "Yeah, turns out I'm not. My party cancelled last minute. I didn't have time to let you know, sorry about that."  
        "Oh, so...should I still stay?" Jongin shifted awkwardly in the doorway.  
        "Yes, you're more than welcome to stay." Kyungsoo stepped aside to let Jongin in. The dogs broke free from their leashes and scuttled into the apartment. Small squeals of joy and excitement came from the kitchen. "Jongdae was actually planning on baking cookies with you today."  
        "Well, in that case..." Jongin slipped off his shoes.  
        Baekhyun poked his head out from the kitchen, his face powdered with flour. "Nini!" He waved his hands, sprinkling flour through the air.  
        "Hey, watch it, Bacon Bits!" Kyungsoo warned. "I'm gonna be the one sweeping."  
        "Sorry, Daddy."  
        "You never let  _me_  call you 'Bacon'!" Chanyeol's voice protested.  
        "Because it's Daddy, so he can." Baekhyun returned his attention to Jongin. "Come help us make the dough!"  
        Jongin glanced at Kyungsoo, who tilted his head toward the kitchen, waved his floury hands, and trotted off to join his sons.  
        "Hi, Nini!" Chanyeol said from the dining table, opening a packet of chocolate chips.  
        "Hey. Watcha got there, big guy?"  
        Chanyeol flourished the packet, spilling some chocolate onto the table. "Chocolate chips for the cookies."  
        "Chanyeol, you're spilling chips!" Jongdae wailed from the counter, kneading a bowl of cookie dough.  
        "Oops."  
        Jongin rinsed his hands off in the sink, then rubbed them together. "I've been a broke college kid for so long, cookies are an unaffordable luxury."  
  
The smell was heavenly. All buttery and chocolatey with a hint of cinnamon as the cookies baked.  
        Jongin hummed. "That smells  _so_  good."  
        Kyungsoo sat in one of the plush one-seaters with Jjanggu in his lap. Chanyeol sat on the floor, stroking the dog's fur. "We've got them by the dozens. Yours to take home."  
        Jongin grinned.  
        Baekhyun was sprawled on the floor, Jjanggah flopped across his chest; Jongdae sat right up to Jongin's side, playing with Monggu's paws.  
        "Once the cookies are done, I'll get on dinner." Kyungsoo massaged Jjanggu's sides, causing the dog to give a gurgle of content.  
        "Alright." Jongin leaned back and yawned, his arms shooting up over his head, and nearly smacked Jongdae in the face.  
        Jongdae flinched visibly, grip tightening on Monggu just enough for the dog to whine.  
        "Whoa, watch it there." Kyungsoo sat forward in his seat, making Jjanggu jump. "The boys are rather sensitive to...sudden movements." Kyungsoo frowned at his own words, as though they weren't enough to describe exactly what he meant to convey.  
        Jongin lowered his arms and dipped his head to look at Jongdae, whose lower lip quivered faintly.  
        "I'm sorry, Jongdae. Are you okay?" Jongin found his own voice quavering, worried he might've hit Jongdae's face, split his lip, broken something...  
        "Yes," the boy replied quietly.  
        Jongin nodded in relief and gave Jongdae's shoulders a reassuring squeeze and poked his cheek. Jongdae giggled. At this, the oven dinged. Kyungsoo smiled and stood up. Jjanggu leaped into Chanyeol's arms.  
        From the kitchen came the sound of metal trays clanking against oven grids, then Kyungsoo called, "Come get 'em!" All three boys shot to their feet, startling the dogs, and rushed to the kitchen. Jongin stood up, stretched, and made his way to the kitchen. The boys were already seated at the table, blowing on their fresh cookies. Kyungsoo had a plate stacked with cookies set out on the dining table, which he nudged toward Jongin.  
        "Thanks."  
        It tasted like a little piece of heaven broke off and landed in his mouth. Jongin exhaled loudly through his nose. "Some mean cookies."  
        "Why are they mean?" Chanyeol asked. "Did they burn you?"  
        Kyungsoo and Jongin both laughed. "No," Kyungsoo explained. "Mean means excellent."  
        "Oh."  
        "Alright, take your share of cookies and you can go play." Kyungsoo brushed some crumbs off the table. "I need  _Nini_  to help me cook our dinner."  
        "You too?" Jongin groaned.  
        "Can Nini play with us?" Baekhyun asked.  
        "After dinner he can."  
        The boys nodded and shuffled off to the living room.  
        "Please, just Jongin," Jongin pleaded.  
        "I know." Kyungsoo wiped his hands on his jeans. "But when you talk to kids, you gotta use kid talk, connect with them more."  
  
"But Daddy, I don't like green onions," Chanyeol poked at his creamy pasta sauce with his fork.  
        "You have to eat your pasta, Chanyeol," Kyungsoo chided. "I even put bacon in it."  
        "But I don't like green onions."  
        "You haven't tried it yet." Kyungsoo set his fork down. "If you try it and don't like it, Daddy will make you something else, okay? Promise me you'll try some first."  
        Chanyeol frowned at his plate, taking in the bacon-speckled leek paste. He twirled a few strands of spaghetti onto his fork and nibbled on it, then glanced at Kyungsoo through his bangs.  
        Kyungsoo raised a knowing eyebrow at his son.  
        Chanyeol smiled bashfully and slurped away at his spaghetti.  
        "I told you," Kyungsoo whispered, reaching across the dining table to poke Chanyeol's forehead.  
        "Say Kyungsoo," Jongin piped up.  
        "Hm?"  
        "I've been wondering for awhile..." Jongin gestured at Chanyeol, Jongdae, then Baekhyun in order. "They're family names are Park, Kim, and Byun respectively. Why is that?"  
        Heads turned. Kyungsoo's brows knitted. Chanyeol's mouth hung half open. Baekhyun and Jongdae turned to look at each other, then at Jongin. Jongin fidgeted.  
        "Sorry, was that a bad question?"  
        "Um..." Chanyeol scratched his chin, his gaze flicked to and fro from one brother to the next, as if he were afraid they might explode any second.  
        "We're adopted," Jongdae said boldly.  
        "Obviously," Baekhyun added.  
        "Oh, er..." Jongin fumbled around for the right words.  
        "Don't worry, they're not saddened by it." Kyungsoo exhaled softly, and the temperature of the room dropped noticeably. In a quieter voice, Kyungsoo continued, "If anything, I think they're happy about it."  
        A heavy cloud of somber air seemed to hang above the dining table as everyone was silenced. Baekhyun sniffled. Jongdae poked his own cheeks to distract himself. Only Chanyeol, who seemed to be the only one undeterred, blurted, "Bubbles." His brothers looked at him funny, but a smile was already tugging at Jongdae's lips. Chanyeol cracked a small smile and reached for Jongdae, who was closest to him, to poke his nose. "Boop." Jongdae giggled.  
        "A mood-lifter, that one," Kyungsoo murmured.  
        "Bubbles!" Chanyeol said again, this time in an angrier tone.  
        Baekhyun burst out laughing.  
        The cloud condensed until it was hovering just above Jongin's head.  
        Kyungsoo grinned tenderly. "Eat," he commanded.  
        Everyone obliged, even Jongin, but he felt—no, knew—that something in this family was very, very wrong.  
  
"I'll do the dishes," Kyungsoo said as he stood up from the dining table, taking his plate and utensils with him. "You guys run along and play."  
        "I can help," Jongin offered, halfway out of his seat.  
        "No," Kyungsoo said curtly. "Go on, they're boys, they need a little distraction."  
        Jongin spared one last glance at the kitchen sink piled with plates and forks and cooking supplies, then hurried to join the boys frolicking in the living room.  
        "Nini, Nini, look at this!" Baekhyun whipped out a stuffed animal, a beagle. "Isn't she cute?" Jongin nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy bought this for me when he brought us to this house. She looks like she has a saddle." Baekhyun pointed out the black patch on the dog's back, then handed it to Jongin. "Her name's Taeyeon."  
        "That's a pretty name," Jongin commented.  
        "I have stuffed animals too!" Jongdae said.  
        "Me too!" Chanyeol chimed in. "They're in the bedroom, c'mon." Chanyeol took Jongin by the hand and led him off, Jongdae and Baekhyun in tow. He flipped the light switch and jumped onto his bed. "See?" Chanyeol was holding a stuffed giraffe with a fluffy mane. "This is Spot. Spot, say hello to Nini." In a high voice, Spot said, "Hi, Nini."  
        Jongin waved. "Hi, Spot."  
        "I have two of them, because mine are smaller." Jongdae flopped onto his bed and retrieved two little animals just big enough to fit in Jongin's palm. One was a dromedary, the other was a velociraptor.  
        Baekhyun crawled onto the bed next to Jongdae's. "If you look closely, you'll see that they both look like Jongdae."  
        "Hey!" Jongdae pouted.  
        Jongin laughed.  
        "This is Sandy the Camel. This one's Blue," Jongdae pointed at the velociraptor, "like from Jurassic World."  
        "Wow, you watched that movie?" Jongin asked.  
        "We all did," Chanyeol answered.  
        "I named her after I saw the movie," Jongdae explained.  
        "Yeah, she went nameless for three months," Baekhyun added.  
        "Weren't you scared?" Jongin teased, baring his teeth.  
        "No!" Jongdae shook his head, pointing three fingers on each hand, like raptor claws. He inhaled deeply and made a terrible, high-pitched screeching noise. "Raptors were cute!"  
        Jongin smiled softly. "Okay then."  
        There was a soft rap on the door. There Kyungsoo stood, leaned against the doorframe, a trio of pups milling about his feet. "Boys, time to go shower."  
        They whined. "Aw..."  
        Kyungsoo clapped his hands. "Come on, the sooner you go, the sooner you come back."  
        The boys mumbled some complaints, but slid off their beds and made their way to the bathroom. The door closed behind Jongdae and the sound of water running reached Jongin's ears.  
        "I see you got to know their stuffed animals." Kyungsoo picked Blue up and studied her. "My personal favorite, out of all of these."  
        "Baekhyun said you got these for them when you first brought them here," Jongin said setting on hand on Taeyeon's back.  
        "Yeah, I did." Kyungsoo sat down on Baekhyun's bed and crossed his legs. "They seemed really tense when we left the orphanage, so I drove them to a toy store, they picked out what they wanted. They were a little less tense afterwards."  
        Jongin turned to look at Kyungsoo, who was turning Blue around in his hands. "You're...what? Twenty-four?"  
        "Yes."  
        Jongin hesitated, wondering whether what he was about to ask next would be to intrusive of Kyungsoo's privacy or not. "What made you want to have kids at twenty-four?"  
        "This is the...sixth, no, seventh time you've come to my house, am I right?"  
        "Um, yes, I believe." Jongin was a bit thrown off guard by the unrelated question.  
        "And we've known each other for a month and a little more."  
        "Yes..."  
        "I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to tell you."  
        "Oh." Jongin gulped and nodded. "I understand."  
        "I'd tell you if I had my way, for someone to know their back story," Kyungsoo said, his tone unsettling. He waved his hand at the bathroom door, behind which laughter and splashing emanated from. "But I want to make sure they're okay with it."  
        Jongin followed Kyungsoo's hand, gazing at the door.  _What happened?_  
        Kyungsoo got to his feet. "I'm going to go take a shower. Just get them ready for bed and tuck them in if I'm not done when they are." He set Blue onto Baekhyun's pillow and left.  
        When Jongin heard Kyungsoo's bedroom door close, the kids' bathroom door opened, and out waddled the wet-headed three, sleepwear donned, towels in hand. The dogs leaped at them, yapping excitedly.  
        "Your dad says to get you ready for bed." Jongin stood up to hang the towels up.  
        "But I don't wanna go to bed yet," Chanyeol protested.  
        "Sorry, Dad's orders. Did you brush your teeth yet?"  
        "Yes."  
        And Jongin went through the weekly routine of making sure they actually brushed their teeth by sniffing for the scent of mint toothpaste one boy at a time. "Good, now hop in." He gestured toward the beds, and all three clambered up reluctantly.  
        "Won't you read us a bedtime story?" Baekhyun asked.  
        "I can." Jongin ran a hand along the book shelf. "What do you want?"  
        Usually, someone would yell out "Jason and the Golden Fleece" or "Jack and the Beanstalk" or "Tales of the Eight Immortals".  
        "Boys?" Jongin turned around. They lay gazing blankly at the ceiling.  
        "We don't know," they said in unison.  
        "Okay, then...how about we just skip the stories tonight?" Jongin crossed over to the foot of Jongdae's bed. "We can read one the next time I come over. How does that sound?" Jongdae nodded, eyes half-lidded in drowsiness already. "Alright, then. Goodnight."  
        Jongdae extended his hand and grabbed at the air. Jongin held it and gave it a squeeze. "Night."  
        "Night," the boys mumbled.  
        Jongin turned off the light left the room quietly, couldn't help but feel he had something to do with the overall gloomy atmosphere tonight.  
  
As soon as the door clicked shut, the boys were wide awake, chattering.  
        "Did you hear Daddy?" Baekhyun whispered nervously.  
        "He wants to tell Nini," Chanyeol hissed.  
        "But he's not going to yet," Jongdae reassured.  
        "I don't really mind," Baekhyun thought aloud.  
        "I don't think I'm ready," Chanyeol murmured.  
        "I don't want to think," Jongdae whined.  
        Silence fell upon the trio.  
        "Do you think he'll do it?" Jongdae breathed.  
        "I don't know," Baekhyun said. "Let's not talk about it. I don't like talking about it, and neither do you two. Just sleep." In his rare moments of acting like the eldest, Baekhyun never hesitated to comfort his brothers.  
        "Okay..."  
        Then, the sliver of light peeking in from beneath the door widened until it spilled onto the three beds. The door framed Kyungsoo's silhouette. He padded over to Chanyeol's bed, the closest. He leaned down and pecked Chanyeol's forehead, water from his hair dripping onto Chanyeol's face. "Goodnight, Chan."  
        "Goodnight, Daddy."  
        Kyungsoo skipped Jongdae and moved on to Baekhyun, knowing Jongdae would ask for a long,  _long_  hug before bed. He ruffled Baekhyun's hair and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Bacon Bits."  
        "Night, Daddy."  
        Kyungsoo then sat at the foot of Jongdae's bed. Jongdae was already crawling towards him, kicking away the blankets. Jongdae cocooned himself into Kyungsoo's arms and wrapped his own around his father's neck. Kyungsoo rocked himself gently back and forth, patting Jongdae's back. "Goodnight, Jongdae."  
        "Goodnight."  
        Kyungsoo tucked Jongdae back into the sheets and brushed his lips against the top of Jongdae's head. He stood up and exited the room on quiet feet. He gave Monggu a quick scratch behind the ears as he passed the dog by in the hallway. Jongin was waiting in the living room, picking at his shirt sleeve. He looked up when Kyungsoo came.  
        Kyungsoo picked up his wallet from the coffee table and plucked out a wad of cash, handing it to Jongin.  
        "But—"  
        "You came, therefore I am required to pay you."  
        Jongin accepted and stuffed it into his pocket, then resumed twisting his sleeves. "Kyungsoo, did I, uh...ask a bad question?" He glanced at Kyungsoo's stern face nervously. "I can't help but feel like they—" he gestured at the boys' room "—and you have been acting a little different after I asked about the surname thing. And if it wasn't appropriate, I'm sorry—"  
        "Maybe next time," Kyungsoo cut him off, already reaching for the door.  
        "What?" Jongin stooped to leash his dogs.  
        "Maybe next time I'll tell you. Now's not the time, like I said." Kyungsoo tugged at the towel around his neck. "Goodnight."  
        Jongin nodded and hurried out the door.


	4. Job #4: the Chat

Kyungsoo drummed his long fingers against the steering wheel, sighing at the traffic light that refused to turn green. He checked the time. 4:06. Baekhyun would be waiting at the front doors of his school by now.  
        "Hurry," he hissed under his breath, just as the light flashed green.  
        Within three minutes, he made it to Baekhyun's elementary school, where the boy stood twiddling his thumbs before the front gate. Baekhyun's face lit up as Kyungsoo pulled the car to a stop. He clambered into the back, onto his booster seat, and strapped on his seatbelt.  
        Kyungsoo pulled away and headed for the daycare center.  
        "So how was your day?" Kyungsoo asked.  
        Baekhyun hummed in thought. "Mr. Cho got scared because Siwon tried to hug him in the middle of a lesson," Baekhyun said, giggling at the recollection. "And I laughed and laughed, and then Jong-woon started laughing, and then Wookie was laughing, and then  _everybody_  was laughing!" Baekhyun threw up his hands to emphasize his point.  
        "Is that so?" Kyungsoo chuckled. "Who's Wookie?"  
        "The teacher's assistant, Kim Ryeowook."  
        "You gave your teacher's assistant nicknames?"  
        "Yes."  
        "Okay." Kyungsoo parked his car in front of the daycare center. "Come along."  
        Baekhyun unbuckled himself and hopped off the car to pick up his brothers. Through the glass paneled front of the center, Kyungsoo saw one of the caretakers, Amber, holding the hand of little Henry, a boy who'd befriended Chanyeol on his first day. A little beyond that hobbled Jongdae and Chanyeol, each holding a hand of another caretaker, a young man who—for reasons Kyungsoo never quite understood—went by the nickname of V.  _Maybe it's because his chin is so sharp,_  Kyungsoo thought.  
        He greeted V warmly. "I hope they weren't up to too much trouble today."  
        V snorted. "No, no! They're adorable, although...Chanyeol did get into a heated discussion with Zhoumi about who would be taller once this little on grew up." V patted Chanyeol's head.  
        "Me!" the boy exclaimed. "I will!"  
        Somewhere inside the building, a Chinese-accented voice yelled. "No, you won't!"  
        Kyungsoo sighed. "Well, Zhoumi  _is_  six feet tall. Think you can beat that?"  
        "Yes!" Chanyeol was brimming with confidence.  
        "Alright, little one. Say bye-bye to V, Daddy's gotta cook dinner."  
        "Bye bye!" Chanyeol waved.  
        Jongdae hugged V's legs.  
        "Bye," V waved back, then turned and went to help Amber console a whimpering Henry.  
  
They sat, they ate.  
        A pleasant dinner of galbi and rice and string beans, filled with talk and banter. Jongdae almost choked when Baekhyun said a girl tried to kiss him at school today.  
        "No standard!" Jongdae blurted, and Chanyeol howled.  
        "But it's true!" Baekhyun insisted.  
        "That's nice, Baek." Kyungsoo quirked his lips. "That's nice."  
        Then Chanyeol turned to Jongdae and waved his hands furiously. "Speaking of which, remember? Remember today? When Kookie tried to hug Hobi, but Hobi tried to hug Yoongi at the same time, and they all fell over?"  
        Jongdae's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah!" He giggled. "Yoongi was so angry because they crushed him."  
        "Yeah, and then Kookie started crying because he didn't get a hug from Hobi, and Hobi started crying because he didn't get a hug from Yoongi, and...and—"  
        "Slow down there, big guy." Kyungsoo patted Chanyeol's arm. "What'd I say about talking with your mouth full, huh? And don't eat so fast, just scarfing it down, you'll get a stomachache."  
        "Okay, Daddy."  
        "He had a stomachache yesterday," Baekhyun said.  
        "What?" Kyungsoo frowned. "Why? When? Why didn't you tell me?"  
        "He was thinking a lot," Baekhyun said. "Too much, really."  
        "And then, yeah, I got a stomachache," Chanyeol said bashfully.  
        Kyungsoo almost snorted. "Thinking about what?" he asked.  
        "Nini," Chanyeol said. "You said...you said you were gonna tell Nini. And I was thinking should we tell Nini?" Chanyeol gestured at his brothers. "Actually, we were all kind of thinking."  
        Kyungsoo blanched, but he wasn't one to shy away. "And?"  
        "You can tell him," Jongdae put in.  
        "Besides, you said you wanted to," Baekhyun added matter-of-factly.  
        "But why?" Kyungsoo's expression was somewhat relieved, but pained. "Why Jongin? We barely know him."  
        "But we can trust him." Baekhyun picked at his rice. "Nini's nice." Baekhyun's small mind was working. He knew it was the trio's sad truth that their adoptive father had to shoulder, and by himself at that. Of course, Baekhyun understood the same went for his brothers, that he lived in trauma, but when he wasn't haunted, he lived without a care, and it was up to Kyungsoo to prevent any other harm that may befall them. It must be pressuring. Baekhyun was aware of how Kyungsoo needed a confidant, and wondered whether Jongin was ready to be burdened with such a dreadful secret.  
         _Nini can be trusted._  
        With that, Kyungsoo objected no more. "Eat," he said softly, splitting the last three slices of meat between the three brothers. "We've got cookies, finish your beans and you can have some."

"You sure you don't want to stay the night?" Junmyeon asked Yifan, Sehun in lap. "It's pretty late, you know." He gestured around the dimly lit living room, emphasizing the darkness outside.  
        "I'll be fine," Yifan was already grabbing his overcoat from the hanger. He gave a small yawn.  
        "Look at you, you're yawning," Junmyeon pointed out. "Don't go out driving like that."  
        "It's almost like you're begging me to stay the night," Yifan huffed good-naturedly.  
        "What if I am?"  
        Sehun, who was gnawing on a small piece of toast, started squirming in Junmyeon's lap. With one hand, he held his toast, the other he stretched toward Yifan, making grabbing motions with his fingers.  
        Yifan smiled and crouched next to Junmyeon, extending a hand to the child, who gripped his index finger tightly. "Yifan, stay," he babbled through a heavy lisp. Yifan looked a little taken aback.  
        "You," he pointed at Sehun with the finger the child held fast to, "want me—" then pointed at himself, "to stay?"  
        Sehun tugged on the finger. "Yifan, stay," he repeated, pouting.  
        Yifan gritted his teeth. "I can't say no to that face," he grumbled. "I'm gonna f—" he caught himself with a warning look from Junmyeon"—rickin' stay the night." He looked Sehun dead in the eye. "I'm staying, li'l one, you happy?"  
        Sehun giggled and squished Yifan's cheeks with his small palms.  
        "Aish!" Yifan pinched the boy's nose, and noticed a feature he never did before. He ran his thumb horizontally across Sehun's left cheek and turned to Junmyeon. "Why has he got a scar there?"  
        Junmyeon shrugged slowly. "He fell and cut himself on the coffee table," he said thickly as Sehun returned his attention to his toast.  
        "Hn." Yifan stood up. "Lemme use your shower, you got a spare towel?"  
        "Yeah," Junmyeon still sounded a little hoarse. "They're in my closet."

 _Jongin, are you free for lunch tomorrow? I've got something to let you know._  
        Kyungsoo scowled at his phone. "That won't do," he murmured, and cleared his text box.  
         _I have something to tell you. Let me know when you're free tomorrow._  
        He scowled again. "Just won't do." He deleted the text and tossed the phone onto his nightstand, fell back onto his bed and gazed through the wall of windows at the city lights. "Maybe I won't tell him anyways," he tried to convince himself. "A time will come." On the stand, his phone buzzed.  
         _Jongin_ , said the screen.  
        Kyungsoo scrambled to pick it up. "Hello?"  
         _"Hey, Kyungsoo, sorry to bother you at this hour."_  
        "It's fine, did you need something?"  
        _"Actually, kinda. My apartment is getting this sterilizer sprayed around, so I can't stay in tomorrow, plus it's a holiday so the dance studio is closed too."_  He paused.  _"Would you mind if I crashed at your place? I would ask some schoolmates but they've still got final exams and I'm already outta college."_  
        Kyungsoo weighed this— _I could tell him, but I don't have to, but he's gonna hang around with the kids since they're not going to school tomorrow, but that means one more person to tend to_ —and finally decided on, "Sure."  
         _"Oh my god, thanks, thanks."_  
        "Mm hm."  
         _"Okay, okay, sorry for bothering you. G'night."_  
        "Mm hm."  
        And Jongin hung up.  
         _A time will come_.  
  
Kyungsoo heard the dogs before he heard the doorbell, and by the time it rang, Kyungsoo was unlocking the door already.  
        Apparently the boys had too, because Chanyeol came barreling down the hallway. "Nini! Nini!" he whooped. "Nini!" He threw himself at Jongin. "Hi!"  
        Jongin, honestly, nearly jumped out of his skin. He gave Chanyeol a loose hug and let his dogs off their leashes. Chanyeol chased after Jjanggu.  
        As Jongin slipped out of his shoes, he said, "Thanks for letting me stay, Kyungsoo. Today was a really sucky day to have the studio close."  
        "No problem," Kyungsoo replied. He plopped onto the couch and crossed his legs. Jjanggah immediately hopped into his lap, and Baekhyun scrambled onto the couch with her.  
        "Nini, you dance?" the boy asked.  
        "Yes." Jongin sat down next to Baekhyun. "I studied dancing when I was in college."  
        Baekhyun looked mesmerized. "Can you dance for me?" His eyes shone, hands clasped. Jongin had never seen anyone look at him with such wonder.  
        "Um..."  
        "Please, Nini?"  
        A common misconception people had of Jongin was that he  _wasn't_  shy. No, he was painfully shy, but Baekhyun's expectant gaze pushed him, tempted him. He looked to Kyungsoo for help.  
        Kyungsoo only quirked his brow, equally agog.  
        Jongin figured there really was nothing to lose. He fished in his pockets for his phone, scrolled through his playlists, and handed it to Baekhyun. "Here, you can choose a song."  
        The phone looked huge in the boy's tiny hands. He scrolled up and down and up again, then closed his eyes and clicked a song blindly. Jongin was poised on the balls of his feet. Billie Jean played, and Jongin swayed with it. A smooth, strong swing of his arm led to a twist of a shoulders, to the hips, to the legs, and back again. He was aware of little Baekhyun's gaze, Kyungsoo's probing eyes. He was also aware of the music, taking over him.  
        Kyungsoo leaned back against the cushions, captivated. He'd seen plenty of dancers, plenty of excellent dancers, but none with a style like Jongin's. None so jerky yet so smooth, none with such power but so much grace at the same time. And Jongin had this look on his face, fierce and focused, like a smile, but also a scowl. He was in his own world. It was wondrous to behold.  
        The song ended, Baekhyun turned off the phone. Jongin panted slightly, balanced on the tips of his toes. Four pairs of hands began clapping, as Chanyeol and Jongdae had joined halfway through. Kyungsoo smiled. Jongin was a little red in the face, whether from timidity or effort, Kyungsoo couldn't tell.  
        "Whoa!" Baekhyun jumped up and down on the couch. "That was super cool!"  
        Jongin smiled bashfully. "Thanks. I try."  
        At that, Kyungsoo snorted. "You don't even have to."  
        Jongin sat, still smiling, and melted into the couch.  _Ah, sweet praise._


End file.
